cheat days

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syousaf571
syousaf571 Posts: 46 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.
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  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    I don't do a cheat day, I do a 'treat' meal once a week. Usually on Friday night - date night, or whenever my husband and I are able to go out to dinner over the weekend. The way I treat is I'll eat whatever I want, within reason and still practicing portion control. That's it... nothing crazy. Honestly I don't really crave much anymore so just having a plate of rice or pasta or some bread out of the bread basket is treat enough for me.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    ..... why would you put it in your head that you're planning to go "All out"! If you feel the need to go all out and are actually making a plan to do so, I'd say you're current nutrition plan isn't realistic or sustainable.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
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    I tend to do maintenance cals during the weekends and have a 500 cal deficit during the week, a few weeks ago I was at a wedding and had about 4000 cals of food and booze then went over maintenance the next day too, I maintained that week after compensating during the week with my 500 deficit for all intents and purposes. It happens. As long as you don't go "all out" every week just expect to maintain or even gain that week even if you compensate (safely*) the rest of the week, special occasions happen and I don't restrict when they do. ;P Its only if you have a lot of special occasions you probably should look at how to moderate during those times as they can stop you losing.

    *obviously don't try to compensate by having a stupidly low amount of cals (ie less than 1200) the rest of the week
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i dont do cheat days. it could knock out my deficit for the entire week, or even longer.

    a cheat MEAL on occasion, sure, or a gluttonous dessert.... but I'll get in more exercise in the pre and post days, or cut back elsewhere if im able to during the day to help compensate for it.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    syousaf571 wrote: »
    if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.

    I certainly have occasions where I overeat and indulge...not really, cheating, just living life. It's usually a BBQ or pool party or something...lots of good food and adult beverages.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I sometimes have 3k cal days. Just log them all, at the very least you have good data to reflect on. I'm going to ribfest in a monthish and I expect to eat about 5K cals... it's really not that bad if you do it once every few months. If I'm in a deficit all the other days I'm pretty close to maintenance overall even with a 5K day maybe even a tiny deficit lol
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I don't have "cheat days." I really hate that term, since I wouldn't be "cheating" anyone other than myself. On rare occasions, I intentionally eat over my calorie goal for the day--usually because either I'm in a social setting where food is an important part of a celebration and I want to participate in that, I'm traveling in a place where it's not feasible to follow my usual diet, or I'm sick and I feel that my body needs the extra calories to recover. For me, what you're describing would fall into the first category. I'd enjoy my food but still try to eat reasonably rather than gorging myself, and then just get back on track the next day.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    No cheat days here. Just some days were I eat a little less and other days were I eat a little more. In the end, it all balances out to a deficit and that is my only real concern.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
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    I totally know what you mean. Time to celebrate. Note that the word "celebrate" does not mean "be self-destructive. "Going all out" sounds like you plan on ending up puking in the bathroom, or something. Not my idea of fun.

    But having a great meal with friends is fun and should be done on such an occasion, including eating birthday cake. It's good for the soul and you can make up for the calories later.

    Lots of non-consumption stuff is fun, too: Dancing is fun. Hiking up a hill and watching the sunset is fun. Playing "Cards Against Humanity" is fun. Going to a concert is fun. Having fun is fun.

    Hope it is the night of your life!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2017
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    No cheat days for me. Cheat implies negative things to me, such as feeling guilty or ashamed for something I should not do or have done.

    When eating a calorie deficit or maintaining my calorie choices are relaxed on weekends sure, and usually even causes issues on the scales for days afterwards. Life is meant to be enjoyed and learning how to eat when indulging in birthdays, holidays and family events from here on out should just be that, a day of fun and enjoyment with food, but keeping it controlled to the point that these days do not possibly derail progress.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I don't go "all out". I've worked too hard to get where I am. A treat is having dessert or a glass of wine.
  • lilysillycat
    lilysillycat Posts: 159 Member
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    syousaf571 wrote: »
    if u ever have cheat days, what does it look like for u? i'm planning on going "all out" for my grad+birthday.

    we all serious need to break the habit of using food as reward for celebration. get something super fun and health for your grad+birthday. your favorite electronic gadget such as go pro, or apple watch if you dont have it yet. or the pair of running shoes or hiking boots you always wanted. or charter a boat and go deep sea fishing, water ski, a camping trip with buddies. etc etc. but eat super healthy. there is no need to celebrate your grad+birthday with something that may stall your weight lose for weeks and cause all sort of emotional problems.
  • rmmcgar
    rmmcgar Posts: 3 Member
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    I set Friday aside for a cheat day, but I still log all of my calories. Even though it's a cheat day, don't go 'all out', though. I would just pick something that you've been craving and eat it, but not splurge to excess. Also, only cheat for one meal, not the entire day, and if you can, cut back on the day so the one meal can be even more satisfying but not a diet-killer.
  • soccerjerseyguy
    soccerjerseyguy Posts: 14 Member
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    if I want to indulge I first do a big bike ride or something (logging calorie loss), and then I have that "banked" to treat myself (not going over). Do the work first, then you can reward. This keeps me honest and on track for my goals.
  • yoherbs421
    yoherbs421 Posts: 160 Member
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    I consider going out my cheat day. I like to party so dancing and other extra curricular activity lol keeps the expenditure up ooh double entendre!
  • syousaf571
    syousaf571 Posts: 46 Member
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    yoherbs421 wrote: »
    I consider going out my cheat day. I like to party so dancing and other extra curricular activity lol keeps the expenditure up ooh double entendre!
    LOL
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
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    I don't do cheat days. I have a problem with the concept as a whole. Live your life, enjoy your special occasions, don't worry about going over your calorie targets on those really big once a year or once in a lifetime events! It's not "cheating" anything; it's still weight loss if you stay in deficit in the long run.

    I do log those days, but it's usually just a generous estimate. I try to over estimate to make sure there's some wiggle room and then just go back to normal the next day. I have a decent gap between my TDEE and weekly goal, so it's pretty hard for me to undo an entire week with a single day's worth of excess (I'd have to eat something like 7k calories in a day), but even if I did, it's one week at maintenance out of an entire year's worth of work to lose (about how long it should take me to reach my target) and an entire lifetime's worth of effort to maintain. As long as you don't let your "all-out" derail your entire weight loss train, you'll be fine :).

    Enjoy yourself and congratulations!!

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